Hangover: The Missing Tooth

When a wonderful, creative and talented actor such as my patient Ed Helms came to me with the opportunity to add to the humor and shock value of the character in “The Hangover” film I was motivated to find a way to make his idea come to reality.

In the story, Ed, a lead character plays a dentist who on a Bachelor weekend binge inadvertently pulls out one of his front teeth as a goof!

Mr. Helms and writers asked me how we could make this “Special effect” be more of a reality than just some black wax on his tooth.

After some creative brainstorming, Ed and I decided to disassemble an unattractive crown attached to an existing dental implant and temporarily replace it with a prosthetic gum tissue during the filming of the movie.  Additionally, a removable prosthetic tooth was provided for Mr. Helms to wear when he was off camera.

The effect was as real as any tooth could look after being potentially extracted.

After the movie shoot was completed, a new and aesthetically undetectable non metallic replacement crown and implant abutment were designed and fabricated to restore Ed’s natural and pleasing smile along with other supporting treatments.  The results speak for themselves.

Please enjoy the before, during and after magical transformation for Mr. Helm’s which was a test of creative thinking, design and artistic collaboration to achieve not only the “Special Effect” and illusion of a missing tooth but more importantly a lifetime of a beautiful and natural and healthy smile.

Ed Helms: Hangover Missing Tooth